Just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing, also known as just-in-time production, is a methodology aimed primarily at reducing flow times within production as well as response times from suppliers and to customers. JITR manufacturing may use radio-frequency identification (RFID). RFID is the wireless use of electromagnetic fields to transfer data, for the purposes of automatically identifying and tracking tags attached to objects. The RFID tag can be affixed to an object and used to track and manage inventory, assets, people, etc. For example, it can be affixed to cars, computer equipment, books, mobile phones, etc.
RFID provides a way for organizations to identify and manage tools and equipment (asset tracking), without manual data entry. RFID is being adopted for item level tagging in retail stores. This provides electronic article surveillance (EAS) and a self-checkout process for consumers. Automatic identification with RFID can be used for inventory systems. Manufactured products such as automobiles or garments can be tracked through the factory and through shipping to the customer.